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In a bid to provide some much needed sustainability for the country’s stressed water resources, Operation Hydrate is drilling boreholes in drought-stricken areas across the country. This as National Water Week gets underway from the 17th to the 23rd of March.

Watch history in the making as a convoy of trucks get ready to begin the largest water distribution efforts in South Africa! Wow! these were the scenes at the FNB Stadium today! Operation Hydrate Initiative SA Proudly South Africa Dis-Chem Pharmacies Avis Southern Africa Broadacres Fitment Centre Lanseria International Airport Mutiny Media

The initiative was sponsored by Operation Hydrate and Momentum ahead of the third One Day International between England and South Africa.

The Proteas and their fans donated over 5 500 litres of water. Brooklyn police station commander Brigadier Kushie Nair was also there to help donate water.

The initiative comes after severe drought has hit South Africa in the past few months.

Operation Hydrate co-founder and spokesperson Yusuf Abramjee thanked the Proteas and fans for coming in their numbers to donate bottles of water.

“Every Protea player came to donate 10 to 20 litres of water today and it again showed Ubuntu in action. We also had the local police who came with a bakkie full of water,” he said.

“We distributed about 6.2 million litres of water to drought-stricken areas of South Africa. We expected more sealed fresh water and this water will be distributed to areas in the Free State, parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and other affected provinces. We know the drought is still very severe and people are in need.”

Abramjee urged South Africans to continue with their spirit of Ubuntu.

“South Africans open their hearts whenever we call on them to donate. It was really heartening to see the Proteas taking the extraordinary steps to make a difference.”

The initiative would continue throughout the year. In the next few days, it would move to the Wanderers and Newlands stadiums before cricket matches.

More than 1 500 volunteers throughout the country were also doing their part, said Abramjee.

To become involved with Operation Hydrate visit www.operationhydrate.com or SMS by sending the word WATER to 42530 at a cost of R30.

HOUGHTON – The recently launched Anti Racism Network South Africa (Arnsa) held a press briefing at the Nelson Mandela Foundation based in Houghton to announce that an anti-racism week will be held from 14 to 21 March.

Well-known South African activist and former radio presenter, Yusuf Abramjee with Yaseen Theba, co-ordinator of Operation Hydrate.

The aim of the week is to improve social cohesion in the country and to eradicate racism, once and for all.

Chief operating officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang, opened the briefing by reiterating the continual negative effects racism was having on South African citizens.

“The time to deal with these issues is now,” said Hatang.

“We need to deal with these issues in a structural, systematic and transformational fashion.

“We cannot undo the past, but we now have a unique opportunity to build a better future here, together.”

Facilitation of Arnsa was aided by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation; and numerous civil society formations, individuals and governmental institutions have pledged their allegiance to the initiative.

“I feel that there has been a fundamental lack regarding leadership in the fight against racism,” said spokesperson for the foundation, Neeshan Bolton.

“We will make Arnsa a mass movement.”

The main speaker at the event was Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, who emphasised the urgent need to address the matter of national unity. “In supporting this initiative, we are building a road to non-racialism. These efforts need to continue with devotion, we must continue on this path because we are going to succeed,” said Mthethwa.

“We need to make this contribution [to society] now, so that our children and their children after them, have better lives.”

Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane joined hundreds of active citizens at the Nelson Mandela Foundation on Friday 29 January, in a drive to provide urgent relief to drought stricken communities across South Africa.

LeadSA’s Yusuf Abramjee, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Sello Hatang, CEO of Proudly South African Leslie Sedibe, Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane, and Yaseen Theba (far right) are joined by representatives from Fly Mango and Dischem

As part of the Operation Hydrate initiative that seeks to collect and distribute drinking water to desperate communities, Mokonyane joined volunteers, businesses, schoolchildren and others from all walks of life in a bid to reach a target of more than 70-million litres of water donated by the end of this weekend.

That might appear to be an overly ambitious goal at first glance, but Mokonyane’s announcement brought that target well within reach.

“I have received confirmation that the National Lottery Board will hand over a cheque of R50-million to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, so that through Operation Hydrate and its partnership with the Foundation and Proudly South Africa, we are in a position to make a real difference,” she said to massive applause.

Part of this donation will go towards the renovation and upgrades of important infrastructure in key areas, ensuring that communities are never again forced to live without drinking water.

“Water is life. The access to fresh water is a constitutional right for every South African, and Operation Hydrate is an [important] initiative that helps realise this.

Throughout the day, members of the public and other organisations dropped off thousands of litres of fresh water that will make its way to thirsty communities over the next few weeks.

Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang, said that such overwhelming gestures of support were helping to reimagine the legacy of Madiba.

“Of course, this initiative goes beyond the donation drive here at the Foundation. In the spirit of Mandela Day, we need to look at how we can make this sustainable, and continue to provide assistance to communities in need on a daily basis.

“We are calling on all South Africans to help us reach our goal of donating over 70-million litres of water by the end of the weekend.”

You are invited to drop off any donations at the Nelson Mandela Foundation over the weekend, and help lend much needed support to an urgent cause.

Drought conditions in South Africa continue to worsen with 5 out of 9 provinces declared disasters, an unprecedented heat wave this week and there is enormous pressure on our country’s limited resources. It is for this reason that Mango has joined forces with Operation Hydrate to act quickly and provide relief to some of the country’s most affected communities. We join the Team as they head to Senekal in the Free State to distribute much needed water.

As the country continues to battle the worst drought in some provinces around the country, many South Africans are coming up with innovative ways to bring relief to those affected. In the past few days, two of these initiatives, Operation Hydrate and Project Hope Grass have called on the public and companies to donate much needed water and homeowners to donate any cut grass for desperately needed animal feed. To tell us more, we are joined by Yaseen Theba from Operation Hydrate and Christo van der Rheede from Project Hope Grass.

Yaseen Theba

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